Lipizzaner, breed of horse that derived its name from the Austrian imperial stud at Lipizza, near Trieste, formerly a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The founding of the breed dates to 1580, and detailed breeding records date from 1700. The ancestry is Spanish, Arabian, and Berber. The six strains (Pluto, Conversano, Neapolitano, Favory, Maestoso, and Siglavy) are named from their foundation sires.
Lipizzaners are of comparatively small stature with a long back, a short, thick neck, and powerful conformation. They average 15 to 16.1 hands (about 60 to 64 inches, or 152 to 164 cm) high and weigh from 1,000 to 1,300 pounds (450 to 585 kg). The head, with a Roman nose, lacks the refinement of most light breeds, but they have attractive, expressive eyes. The colour is usually gray; bay and brown occur rarely. They are found to a limited extent in countries that were originally a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and a few have been exported to the United States. The best known Lipizzaners are those trained at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.